Word: vatican
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Besides his Vatican appointments, of course, the Pope names all new bishops, and, says one of the leading figures among the U.S. bishops, "He's trying to change the makeup of the hierarchies so he will have more control." Some liberals question whether papal authority can be so easily imposed. Father Greeley points out that U.S. Catholics no longer constitute an immigrant culture, and are far more likely to attend college than are Americans as a whole. Says he: "The American hierarchy and the Vatican simply haven't realized that we have a well-educated population out there whom...
Afundamental issue underlies these concerns: the authority of the papacy. In a pre-Christmas address to the Curia (Vatican bureaucracy), John Paul applauded "wholesome pluralism" within the church. But he warned against the dangers of "isolationist" and "centrifugal" forces that threaten the unity of Catholicism. The mission of the Pope and the Holy See, he said, "consists precisely in serving . . . universal unity." The center, in other words, must remain the center: Rome must decide what is Catholic and what...
Some moderates worry about the impact of the conservative lobbying. Says one Italian theologian: "Even if the Pope does not intend it, certain actions encourage conservatives who have been waiting 20 years to roll back the effects of the council. This creates a climate of anxiety and distrust." Vatican observers say that in his own mind, John Paul is totally a man of Vatican II. Yet he does insist upon holding to the letter of what the council said, despite liberals who contend that the "spirit" of the council inspires openness to further changes not specifically endorsed by it. Confusion...
Integrality is a concept that explains what to some is a paradox in John Paul's vision of the church's mission. One common interpretation categorizes the Pope as liberal on social issues but conservative on doctrine. Says a close Vatican adviser: "Such talk is totally incomprehensible to Pope John Paul. To him, Christian doctrine is one unified whole, a package deal that doesn't break down into social and theological, this-worldly and otherworldly. There is a social message in the Eucharist, just as there is a doctrinal basis for social action. In fact, he sees the Eucharist...
...John Paul's actions are part of a strategy leading toward a high- profile identity for priests, brothers, sisters and nuns (in technical usage, nuns are a distinct category of sisters who take solemn vows). Explains one Vatican staff member: "You wonder why a man would bother to take holy orders if he is going to do the same job he could do as a layman." Rome has ordered a study of all U.S. seminaries, and a principal reason for this, says the Vatican source, is to guarantee that these institutions "are not turning out psychiatrists and social workers...